BS: Counting lamps/light fixtures

Subject: BS: Counting lamps/light fixtures
From: Bill D
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 12:03 PM

I had already studied this when the door thread appeared, but I decided to do a more careful count because it dawned on me that we have quite a few light fixtures & lamps.

Perhaps you have more...but I doubt it....

Now... I DO have a shop, spread thru 2 basement rooms, and need a few extra for work, but I was startled to find I have between 85 & 104 lighting fixtures (depending on whether lamps with multiple arms are counted as 1..or more)...NOT counting porch lights or portable LED things (I have 5-6 of those).

I am including built-in ceiling fixtures, but not 4-6 watt 'night-lights'.
I seem to accumulate lamps and hate to just throw out working appliances, so I find places for them. There are several (5-6) that are not usually plugged in that are taken to craft shows for table lighting.

There are 4 freestanding floor lamps, and 8-9 florescent fixtures...some hanging in the shop, 3 built into the house.

But there are...*gulp*... about 55 'lamps' sitting on tables, shelves, and hanging on walls. I can light almost any room in any pattern I wish, from indirect low light to bright direct 'interrogation' style.

Most of these now have the new compact florescents, but 2-3 places still have dimmers that need incandescents. I DO use several new 'dimmable' CFLs, but they are just not perfected yet. I hope that they get better before I can no longer get incandescents.

No... I have NOT considered turning them all on at once, just to see what would happen...I carefully light only the areas I am actually using, and have 2 very small CFLs that are left on in critical areas for night lights..(8 watt, I think)

So...anyone want to challenge me.. *grin*

Subject: RE: BS: Counting lamps/light fixtures
From: olddude
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 12:06 PM

Bill my friend, ya need a hobby, check out the thread on scotch :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Counting lamps/light fixtures
From: Bill D
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 12:18 PM

Hey.. I been there, discussing Scotch! (I had to turn on a couple lamps to look in my Scotch cabinet)

Subject: RE: BS: Counting lamps/light fixtures
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 12:44 PM

But Bill, where are all the sockets for these lamps? We only have a maximum of two sockets per room. You must have lots of 4-gang extensions! And..er... who exactly are you 'interrogating' with your 'interrogation style' lamps? Sinister! :)

Subject: RE: BS: Counting lamps/light fixtures
From: olddude
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 12:55 PM

Thats why my electric cost is so high, blame Bill :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Counting lamps/light fixtures
From: Bill D
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 12:59 PM

There are, admittedly, a 'few' on extensions and multiple outlets...but this house was owned by the old builder who did the neighborhood. He put 3-4 outlets in each room.
I do have to be cautious in the shop area when machines are running...and I actually have one cord running from a protected exterior outlet and into a basement window to access a circuit with very little else on it.

(Interrogation style can be quite efficacious in persuading certain folks not to overstay their welcome at late parties.. ☺)

About 8 years ago, we had to have the old "fuse box" replaced with a modern circuit-breaker panel, and in the process doubled our amperage)

Subject: RE: BS: Counting lamps/light fixtures
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 01:04 PM

Ooooh! I want one of these 'interrogation lamps'. Just think what I could persuade my husband to do/not to do!! (The washing-up, not have boring old football on all the time!)

Subject: RE: BS: Counting lamps/light fixtures
From: gnu
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 01:06 PM

Your scotch cabinet isn't self-illumiated? How ghastly provincial.

Subject: RE: BS: Counting lamps/light fixtures
From: Rapparee
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 01:35 PM

Mine is. I myself use a flashlight to see what's in there -- and there's self-retrieve as well.

Subject: RE: BS: Counting lamps/light fixtures
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 01:47 PM

Counting fixtures in the ceiling, one of them a three bulb affair, thirteen. I used to collect old floor lamps. All but two of the probably eight I have, are stored and need to be rewired.We have no space, nor places to put table lamps, save for jewellery desk and bedside table. IF I were to count what we had in the old Victorian house in CT, I am sure it would be a lot more, but I can't imagine having as many as you, BillD!:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Counting lamps/light fixtures
From: Bill D
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 03:33 PM

When I had done a rough count, I asked my wife..(Ferrara) how many lamps she'd guess we had. She said.."Oh...maybe 20?"

I didn't realized myself until I started counting. We DO have a number of tables, dressers, shelves...etc. in a reasonably large house, (2000 sq ft.) The basement rec room (really just a lower level built into a hill) is 53X15 ft, and 2/3 of the length is one large room we often use for sings & house concerts.
The house had 3 wall sconces with 2 lamps on each one...there are 11 other free-standing lamps in the singing area, plus the overhead fixture. There are 8 more in the rear 1/3 where I have a curtained 'office' and guest bed. The shop is in the other half of the lower level. When you walk in, it is not immediately obvious how many lights there are...they are just part of the scenery, and several of them are quite nice fixtures... including an 'art glass' lamp with curved panels I bought 50 years ago.

Yes... I could easily dispense with 10-12 and barely notice...but.... I LIKE the choices.